Many centuries ago, the dwarven kingdom of Sarphil stretched out across the Galena Mountains east of the Moonsea. They dug for the precious metals hidden beneath the rocky terrain, and they established numerous cities and settlements to aid in their excavation and manufacturing efforts. This was during the early days of Myth Drannor, the elven kingdom in the forest of Cormanthor, and the dwarves and elves initially clashed as each sought resources and expanded their territories. Myth Drannor and Sarphil eventually settled their differences, and many dwarves moved into the elven city to offer their services and expand their knowledge. In the Galena Mountains, Sarphil continued to flourish. Unfortunately, these days of prosperity did not last long. The last great king of Sarphil was lost in the dwarven city of Mount Throndor, beneath the mountain peak of the same name, and Sarphil withered under bitter clan disputes since no single family could claim legitimate lineage over the fragmented kingdom. What happened under Mount Throndor has been a mystery for thousands of years. Many attempts have been made to reclaim the lost riches and legacy of the last Sarphilan king, but powerful wards have prevented intrusion under the mountain, wards erected by the dwarves of Sarphil. Were the wards built to keep outsiders from intruding – or to keep something inside from escaping? An enterprising dwarven leader wants to find out, but she is going to need some help from a band of heroes. Horrors of Mount Throndor is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure of exploration, darkness, and terror featuring a lost dwarven city overrun by forces from the Far Realm and the journey to cleanse it once and for all. The adventure is designed for a group of 11th-level characters, and successful completion of the adventure should put the characters at 16th level. Here There Be Monsters Mount Throndor has become infested with madness from the Far Realm. During their journey to penetrate the ward and through the city itself, the characters are going to face gibbering horrors, unpredictable slaadi, fanatic stone giant cultists, degenerate star spawn horrors, mutant derro, undead dwarves, and countless golems. The ancient breweries of Mount Throndor have produced alementals who slither in the darkness, and a great dwarven war juggernaut named Big Hans stomps through the city. Legendary Villains and Epic Moments Though it has been sealed, Mount Throndor is not empty. The characters have opportunities to meet, interact with, and (likely at least) combat against powerful foes within the legendary dwarf city. A dwarf lich, a Far Realm spider goddess, an iron-encased demilich, and a melted flesh derro warlock monstrosity all await, along with a mind-bending force - Great Cthulhu! The characters have a chance to face an avatar of Great Cthulhu in the dwarven depths in the final confrontation of the adventure to free Mount Throndor and rid Faerun of a Far Realm invasion! An Adventure of Exploration Mount Throndor is a big, sprawling complex, a dwarven city with two major strongholds, a bridge system spanning a massive underground lake, and a deep mining complex. The scale is difficult to grasp and convey. Previous examples of adventures featuring these elements have included maps - usually lots of them, great spawling maps connected at ends to make huge subterranean dungeons. It is the classic image of a D&D dungeon crawl, and the map is a key component to its visualization. However, in this adventure, the maps are handled differently. There are certain areas, ususally outside the dwarven city itself, that include maps that are suitable for use at the game table, either in theater of the mind style or grid-and-miniatures. Mount Throndor itself is presented with an abstract map, and exploring it utilizes the exploration procedure outlined in Appendix A. Characters traverse the huge subterranean system using this abstract system, and during their travels they are going to run into random encounters and sites with more interesting and complex encounters.
"An ancient temple to the forgotten god of swords lies hidden behind a waterfall. Great piles of swords choke its halls and spill out into nearby streams and waterways. What strangeness still treads and what swords will you draw in the Temple of 1000 Swords? -A tarot-inspired fantasy RPG dungeon delve for 3rd level characters -Created for Old-School Essentials (B/X), compatible with RPGs with old-school sensibilities -A 19 room, keyed dungeon, easily insertable into a fantasy RPG campaign, sandbox, or “west marches” style table -d100 weird, magic, and cursed swords to discover. Roll to search the piles! -Anything is a sword--create weird sword creations through the temple's cursed magic -New monsters, factions, spirits, and curses -Includes a high-resolution unlabeled map for VTT use" "Temple of 1000 Swords" is set in a mystical temple filled with countless swords and intriguing magic. It offers a dense, exploration-heavy dungeon experience with unique mechanics and a rich backdrop of ongoing conflicts. Players can choose to ally with the Drukks (humanoid carnivorous ducks) or Merfolk (jocks) and manipulate both for their ends, or try to avoid conflict altogether. Gladio, the god of swords, issues quests that can alter the course of the adventure, demanding moral and strategic decisions from the players.
In the canyon of Thunder Rift, in the village of Kleine, goblins have always been a nuisance, but the natives have dealt with them and continued an otherwise peaceful existence. Now, a valuable magical item, called the scepter of truth, has disappeared! The ingenuity of the crime bears the mark of the goblins' leader, the Master Thief Raven. The scepter must be recovered, but there is no one in Kleine with the strength and courage to penetrate Raven's trap-laden hide-out, deep in goblin territory. A party of stout adventurers might survive the mission, but they will have to be quick, smart, and especially careful. This module has been created especially for the inexperienced Dungeon Master and players who are interested in the exploration of dungeons and ruins. TSR 9350
The wedding was meant to unite poweful families from Everlund and Silverymoon. "Til death do us part" comes sooner for some couples than others when undead hordes and a feral demilich are uninvited guests. The Dead Wedding is a short, 3 to 5 hour adventure for characters level 14 to 16. The adventure contains maps for Moonshadow Keep and the crypt of the demilichess Regetta Arch Therm, deadly traps, and RP hooks that enable players to use high-level non-combat abilities.
In the aftermath of AD&D Second Edition's "Return to the Tomb of Horrors," the demilich Acererak was thought destroyed. In truth, his spirit lingered and now after eons he schemes once more to achieve divinity. The characters must travel to three extraplanar dungeons, in addition to the remains of the original Tomb, in order to stop this from coming to pass.
A black dragon’s treasure hoard has been located in the Twilight Marsh, and within it are secrets that hold interest to the factions. With the dragon marauding over the countryside, the horde is left unguarded. Now is the time to plunder its lair!
"Wherein the local clergy makes the terrible mistake of not hiring enough assassins for the job." Synopsis: The heroes have just returned from the abyss (Occipitus) and reestablish themselves in Cauldron, when they are assaulted by a group of professional assassins. After they repel the attack, they trace back the lead to the temple of Wee Jas, where they find plenty of opposition from the second in command, Ike Iverson. After dispatching of the cleric and securing of a (spare) soul cage, the group finds evidence of a place important to the cagewrights' cause - an ancient underground complex named Karran Kurral. Mounting an expedition to that place, they find more evidence towards the horrific destiny on schedule for Cauldron. However, they gain access to the Soul Pillars after defeating a dracolich, that they can use to gather plenty of intelligence on the cagewrights' plans. Pgs. 12-51
Three months ago the township of Durgon’s Rest exiled Elia Fenfrost for practicing witchcraft. Now as the first harvest approaches there are signs that something is amiss. The crops are failing, local farm animals are becoming sick with disease, and all of the food stores have gone foul. The town’s folk suspect that the accursed blight is the work of Elia - exacting her revenge for casting her out into the wild. The PCs are the villager’s last hope, but can they find Elia and end the evil curse that has been laid upon the town before all comes to ruin?
"The Keepers of the Celestian Order, valiant defenders dedicated to destroying horrors from the Far Realm, have trapped a beholder in its lair. However, the evil aberration has proven far more dangerous than expected, and the Keepers need the help of adventurers to end the threat of Omaranthax once and for all. This Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game adventure, created for Free RPG Day 2012, pits player characters against a mutated beholder and its vile underlings. Although set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, the adventure can be easily adapted to any* D&D world." *: The adventure mentions that it is suitable for any setting touched by the Spellplague.
Everyone in the city eagerly anticipates The Arena's opening at the end of every month. This month, an unexpected change to the lineup just days before is rife with rumours! The most feared and respected gladiator in history, Imhullu, the Dragon of Marduk, has issued a challenge to an unknown rival—a fight to the death on charges of heresy. Rumours of insults and slander are spreading throughout the Great Market, though the truth remains inscrutable. The crowds gathered outside The Arena are beyond belief; people must have come from every dimension. Gaining entrance to The Arena is going to be next to impossible. Also, you don't have a ticket! Fortunately for you, you haven't spent your youth in a particularly productive manner! Centred around a gigantic arena full of gladiators, your adventurers must brave the depths of The Pits evading and fighting strange, horrifying creatures, in order to gain entrance. Once inside, they must hold strong against social and political pressures in the hopes of finding a seat in time to watch the main event! But have they gotten themselves caught up in secrets best left alone? There’s only one way to find out!
Warchief Grog Bloodloaf has sounded the horn of war. Elf scum have stolen orc lands and the tasty halfling herds. For generations the Maggotsmasher Clan has watched and waited from the icy caves of the frozen mountains but that wait is over. Warchief Bloodloaf needs only the totem of leadership, the Dragon Crown of Durge Maggotsmasher, to unite the clans and begin his war. Five misfits have answered the call to brave the Caves of Throllorat and return with the crown. With a little luck, these five maggots will kill a few of the beasts within Throllorat before dying, making it easier for real warriors to complete the quest. The Misfit Maggot Five is a comdedic adventure where five rejects from the Maggotsmasher Clan are called upon to retrieve the famed Dragon Crown of Durge Maggotsmasher from the dreaded caves of Throllorat. Each of the characters are fully developed with their own unique personality that will give any Dungeons and Dragons group hours of laughs! The Misfit Maggot Five is a 5th edition comedy adventure for 2nd level monstrous humanoid characters. Published by The Pickled Dragon Press
War brews beneath the emperor's notice, nature convulses as unholy demons bring woe to entire prefectures, and hobgoblin mercenaries wearing powerful machine armor march in greater numbers than ever before. Will you rise to save the empire or is Soburin destined for destruction? Soburin is beset upon by dark forces from its ancient past—not only the evil mists that transform men into monsters, but now too the return of a potent necromancer set to bring about a reign of agony, despair, and death! In the looming crisis the immortals that have treated the world as their gaming set are gathering their agents and pawns, deploying unique warriors across the continent with goals as mysterious as they are. It is within this epic game of intrigue that the adventurers become entangled as they undertake quests for the governmental bengoshi in the Sukochi, Yokuba, Ikari, Hakaisuru, Fuson, and Gekido prefectures as well as visit the enigmatic Tsukisasu, city of oni. Demons begat by the entities that consumed nature plague the party during their travels as do a very special gang of smugglers, the gun-toting Mubo Brothers, and the bloody hobgoblin mercenary erikotera warriors suddenly far more populous across the countryside than ever before. By the time all is said and done the PCs take part in a furious mass battle, nail-biting race through an undead dungeon, and finally an epic fight against an ancient evil atop the Hone-Noroi bone tower before it all comes crashing down! This extensive adventure path takes characters from 3rd to 12th level and includes all previous Mists of Akuma modules (Scourge of Róbai Shita Temple, Feud Primordial, Fangs of Revenge, Cursed Soul of the Scorpion Samurai, Yai Sovereign of Storms, and Revenge of the Pale Master) paired together with connecting material that creates one intensive campaign sure to delight GMs and players for months on end! It would be exhausting to list everything that's inside of the 374 pages of Trade War—here are some quick highlights and if you think this book is for you, peruse the table of contents (below) and sample PDFs. Over 50 maps 90 different NPCs and monsters 6 highly-rated adventure modules ranging from straightforward dungeon crawls to sandboxes of intrigue and back (and 2 sidequests by Andrew Engelbrite and Dirk van de Rijt) 8 new class archetypes: survivalist barbarians, smuggler bards, acrobat monks, tumbler rogues, enigmatic eye warlocks, desperado warlocks, and wizards of the inside out 32 new martial arts stance feats including new weapons martial arts stances Hyperlinks throughout to make accessing statblocks from the core rules a breeze Rules for mass combat An epic 9-level bone dungeon inspired by Buddhist hells Mists of Akuma character sheets
Explore a cult-ridden village in this adventure for 2nd-level characters set in the world’s greatest roleplaying game! Syra Fallbrook, a talented blacksmith, is due to be executed. Her only crime was trying to prevent the Cult of the Engine from taking and sacrificing her daughter, Ariadne, in a dark ritual beneath the town. The party find Bleakwash a closed off and inhospitable town, with zealous cultists and downtrodden citizens so tightly entwined that nobody trusts anybody else, and nobody can be trusted. Eventually, the quest takes them to the dungeon beneath the town, a dank, sodden crypt where the cult’s enigmatic leader seeks to awaken The Engine Of Salvation. This second-level adventure is perfect for new DMs and players alike. Visit the grim portside town of Bleakwash, save Syra and her daughter, investigate a dark cult, and do battle in the salt-crusted catacombs! Included in this adventure: A quest to clear a town of corrupting influence. An open-ended investigation in a full town map. Broken, sea-washed catacombs. 5 random encounters to support you during travel. Approx. 4 hours of fun. A gripping adventure for 2nd-level players. Visit the grim shores of Bleakwash for a holiday you'll never forget!
WE-1: Red Dawn: An Eberron adventure about the end of the world. The year is 1019 YK, and the world is ending. Twenty-three years ago, the nations that were once Galifar signed the Treaty of Thronehold and ended the Last War. Now, the drums of war rumble once again. The peace that lasted a generation is threatened, and Eberron may go to war once again. As a member of the Scions of the Second Dawn, a secretive order dedicated to studying the Draconic Prophecy, this is merely background to you. Or, it was, until the eve of your initiation as full Scions. You emerged from the rite to find your monastery destroyed, bandits looting it, and all your friends and allies slain. You are the last survivors of your order, and the world is ending. You cannot stop the end of the world. But you can rebuild it. Can you escape the wreck of your secret order’s monastery, journey across the mountains in winter, search the mountain valley to unlock the cipher, and discover how to rebuild the world? Or will your frozen bodies join those of your fellows? Will you fall to fatalism and ennui, or will you fight to save what can be saved and rebuild what can be rebuilt? Find out, in the light of this RED DAWN.
The adventure takes players from a town devastated by an unexpected flood, through a drowned land where nature is turned upside down and desperate families cling to the roofs of their ruined homes, hiding from the monstrous products of a disordered world, through the strange tomb of an ancient race, to a profundal zone, hidden for millennia and now exposed, and finally to the Observatory itself, an eerie abandoned treasure palace, where they will encounter a pale and unexpected terror which will seek to claim their lives. The adventure is suitable for a lucky mid-range party, a stupid high-level party or an exceedingly clever low level party. It is difficult, with a meaningful possibility of character death. Should you find them, and defeat their guardians, the treasures of an ancient culture will be yours. At the final point of the Observatory is a glimpse of another world. Published by False Machine Publishing
"Den of the Rotten Kings" is a wererat lair suitable for four 3rd-level characters. This adventure can be completed in one session.
In this small side adventure the party will find evidence that one of their members may undergo a quest to be deemed a 'Mithel Company Champion' and as such gain certain powers within the Labyrinth. These special abilities are only known to be had by some of the greatest of company leaders, and they will be very helpful when taking on the final stages of the dungeon. This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules.
Gazing down from the pinnacle of Hardway Mountain, who would not be drawn by the far-off glint of the Serpent's Eye? The descent will be hard, the mountains know neither mercy nor compassion. Many are the lessons to be learned, but fate has left you little choice - are you equal to the challenge? "Eye of the Serpent" is a one-on-one wilderness adventure module for one player and one Dungeon Master, and has been designed to develop the specialist skills of a 1st-level druid, ranger, or monk character. It can also be used for a normal party of four to six 1st-level player characters. The perils of Hardway Mountain are unchanging, but the routes between them are not. This module includes a unique route planning system with different of routes linking the encounters to challenge the abilities of druids, rangers, or monks. TSR 9125
Rennie and Linde are in search of their father, Petring, who they saw disappear into the crypts beneath town. The crypt is thick with supernatural shadow. Torches can be lit from a brazier of green faerie fire in the entrance that cuts through magical darkness. The torches burn rapidly, and the PCs must travel quickly to preserve their light until they reach the funeral pyre in the heart of the crypt. There they can learn the way to the Carrion Shrine of Qorgeth.
A great evil force descended on the town of Phlan years ago. The townspeople were all either killed or driven away, and Phlan became (literally) a ghost town. Fifty years later, the survivors are ready to reclaim their town. But they need a band of strong and brave adventurers to lead the fight-they need you. Ruins of Adventure is a set of connected short adventures written by James Ward, David "Zeb" Cook, Steve Winter and Mike Breault-four names familiar to all AD&D game fans. It uses the same setting, locations and characters as the classic computer game Pool of Radiance by Strategic Simulations, Inc. In fact, many of the scenarios here in Ruins of Adventure will provide important clues to the successful completion of Pool of Radiance. TSR 9238